News
‘A dress rehearsal’ for grizzly delisting
3+ hour, 54+ min ago (1335+ words) When I arrived at the press conference Tuesday evening, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials were setting up a makeshift stage. Front and center was a sign that said “Return Management to the States.” As Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and…...
Feds transfer grizzly bear management to states
2+ day, 8+ hour ago (543+ words) After more than half a century of federal protections, the Trump Administration on Tuesday announced a proposal to return management of grizzly bears in the Lower 48 to the states. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, flanked by governors Greg Gianforte…...
Are Missoula’s feral horses a problem?
4+ week, 9+ hour ago (629+ words) “Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected]. What should be done to help manage dozens of horses roaming the Miller Creek area on the south end of Missoula?...
Early-rising Yellowstone grizzlies forecast busy year
2+ mon, 4+ day ago (681+ words) Grizzly bear activity seemed to start with a roar on May 4 when two hikers were mauled in Yellowstone National Park. But the big bears have been active since close to New Year’s Day. And that has Yellowstone wildlife experts bracing…...
Pair of grizzly cubs kick off busy year in ESA delisting activity
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (536+ words) Greater Yellowstone’s grizzly bear population has grown by at least two this spring. “She’s clearly in great shape, for a young mother coming out of the den,” said Quentin Kujala, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Chief of Conservation Policy. “That’s…...
Fewer wolves killed in Montana despite state push to slash population
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (1644+ words) Hiking near Gardiner, Montana, on a recent balmy February day, I hit slushy snow and came across the tracks of one other human, and then some deer and elk. Soon, I encountered something more surprising: canine tracks that dwarfed my…...
How the Fort Peck Tribes build a bison blueprint
4+ mon, 1+ week ago (467+ words) When winter finally showed up in the Treasure State, it was a critical day for the Fort Peck Reservation Tribes of Eastern Montana. More than a dozen people surrounded a large corral, bated breath crystallizing in the minus 13-degree air....
As AI proliferates, outdoor photographers and editors struggle to sort out what's real and what's not
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (418+ words) The elk’s eyes were wrong. “But it had these weird, golden eyes,” Queneau recalled. “I remember thinking, I can’t make sense of the lighting in this image. And it was the front-runner for the cover.” Unfortunately, that hunger has inspired…...
Reward offered for shooting of grizzly sow near Montana-Idaho border
5+ mon, 4+ week ago (246+ words) This story is excerpted from the MT Lowdown, a weekly newsletter digest containing original reporting and analysis published every Friday. Federal authorities are seeking information about the shooting of a grizzly sow found just west of the Montana-Idaho border near…...
Bureau of Land Management revokes American Prairie bison leases
6+ mon, 20+ hour ago (452+ words) The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Friday that it is revoking seven grazing permits in Phillips County that American Prairie had been using to sustain its herd of bison. The decision comes after a three-and-a-half-year battle between the Montana…...